Walking and Talking
by featherstorm
Summary: He's walking. Now maybe he'll listen. JordanWoody. Episode tag for "Jump Push Fall" (the season 4 finale).


"You know, for a man who was never going to walk again, you're walking pretty well."

Jordan stood in the doorway of the hospital room, smiling at the sight of Woody standing halfway between his bed and the door to the bathroom.

At the sound of her voice, he froze. He stared at her long enough without speaking that her smile slipped. Just as she was trying to figure out something to say – anything at all -- his lips quirked in a grin. "Are you just going to stand there making smartass comments, or are you going to give me a hand?"

That surprised a laugh out of her. She moved forward and took his arm, helping him get the rest of the way to the bed. The amount of weight he had lost was disturbing – the arm beneath her hands had none of the tone it used to have. Still, weight loss aside, he looked damned good to her eyes. Injured but _alive_, and seemingly glad to have her there.

Once they got him settled on the bed, he leaned back into his pillows with a sigh. "I can walk, something for which I am extremely grateful, but it takes a hell of a lot out of me. I don't think I'll be running six miles this week," he added with a wry grin.

"Slacker," she teased gently. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. _He's getting shaggy_, she thought, allowing her fingers to caress his temple, his cheek. She smiled past the emotions welling in her. "It'll get easier," she reassured him.

"That's what they tell me." His gaze caught and held hers. "Jordan, I am so sorry for how I treated you before. I – "

"Shh." She stopped him with a finger to his lips. "I know. You'd just come out of surgery, Woody. You were faced with the possibility of a future…" She shook her head. "I don't blame you for reacting the way you did. I realized that you had to really _know_ that everything was going to be okay before you'd be willing to listen. That's why I waited 'til now to come back," she added, hoping he'd understand.

His relieved smile reassured her. "I'd wondered if I'd run you off for good," he said quietly.

She grinned back. "No chance! You can't get rid of me that easily." As if to prove her point, she sat down on the edge of his bed.

"I'm glad," he said softly. His eyes asked the question he was afraid to voice.

She reached out, gently took his hand. "I still mean what I said before," she said, her voice tense with emotion. "It wasn't pity that made me say it, Woody, it was the realization that…" She fumbled for words. "Life is too short for the kind of dance we'd been doing. I knew how I felt about you, I just kept trying to deny it." She gave a little helpless shrug, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I can't deny it anymore."

He gripped her fingers tightly, eyes searching her face. She stared right back, praying he'd see the truth – that she was done putting up a mask to hide her true feelings, at least from him.

Whatever he saw, it must have satisfied him, because some tension went out of his body. He closed his eyes for a long moment, leaning his head back against the pillow. Jordan took the opportunity to wipe her eyes with her free hand, rubbing her face to try and relax the muscles. _This emotional revelation thing is hard work, _she thought with an inward laugh. But the smile he gave her when he opened his eyes made it entirely worth it.

He seemed about to say something, but for once thought better of it and shook his head. Instead, "C'mere," he murmured, pulling her close to him. She came willingly, resting a hand on his chest and her cheek on his shoulder.

How long they laid like that, Jordan wasn't sure. Finally, a nurse came in, saying, "Ma'am? I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over…"

Jordan raised her head and gave the nurse a charming smile. "Give us a minute?"

The nurse smiled and nodded her acquiescence. "One minute." She stepped out, discretely closing the door behind her.

Jordan propped herself up on one arm, looking down into Woody's face. His arms slid down to her waste, but he didn't let go just yet. He smiled a little wistfully. "Wish you could stay," he said quietly.

Jordan smiled back. "Me, too. But I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

There was a shadow in Woody's eyes as he said, "Promise?"

It hurt, knowing that he still worried about her running off. She promised herself that she wouldn't give him any more reason to doubt her. She could start, she realized, right now. Her lips quirked. "Promise," she murmured, leaning down and kissing him tenderly.

When she pulled back, she very nearly giggled. The look on his face was that of a boy who had just been told that he could finally have the candy he'd been begging for. He raised a hand and laid it on her cheek. "See you tomorrow." His voice was almost hoarse with emotion.

She slipped off the bed, squeezing his hand in farewell. "Sweet dreams tonight," she said with a wink.

He laughed. "No doubt about that."

She laughed, too. Light of heart and with a spring in her step, she left.


End file.
